


Of Sweets and Snipers

by Misedejem



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms, Bravely Second
Genre: Gen, backstories, death mention for two major characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 18:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6765052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misedejem/pseuds/Misedejem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a country devastated by the attack of the Bloodrose Legion two years prior, the Orthodoxy of Florem chose to destroy the ones responsible. As luck would have it, Florem's deadliest assassins housed a deep vendetta against the Eternians of their own - one that would spawn the raw hatred needed for the eradication of the Bloody Rose forever. </p>
<p>(Bravely Second spoilers. An exploration of the backstory and motivations of the Glanz Empire's Aimee and Angelo.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Sweets and Snipers

**Author's Note:**

> I found Aimee and Angelo to be adorable, but it was disappointing that they were the only Imperials with no motivation or backstory. I took this as as excuse to write about them~
> 
> This contains spoilers for some of the party chats in Chapter IV of Bravely Second.

It was difficult to adapt to Florem without the harsh buzzing of the neon signs distorting the sights and sounds of the city. Even two years after they were dismantled, their blaring was still yet to become a distant memory. The country was recovering, that could not be denied, but the threats of the duchy still haunted the people so long after they had been expelled.

               “This is the last thing we wanted to do, but… Well, the Orthodoxy were the ones who made the decision final, you see. It can’t be helped, this is still very much an Orthodox country and…”

               “You want us to kill them, then?”

               The Matriarch of Florem sighed heavily, and her eyes fell to the young girl curled up on a pillow, deep in slumber. Lady Agnès had made it very clear that Sylvie was not to become Vestal until she was of an age where it was acceptable, but with nobody to watch over the Crystal, it was obvious that the citizens were growing anxious.

               “Y-yes… That is your assignment. To kill the four officers of the Bloodrose Legion, Fiore DeRosa, and the three Venus sisters.”

               “Did your letter not mention another? One Victoria F. Stein, the one responsible for the death of the Vestal of Water?”

               “She’s dead. I received word that she succumbed to illness a few days after I sent for you.” The Matriarch noted the scowl that appeared on the assassins' faces and quickly added, “but your pay will not be affected. You must have need for it, and we wouldn’t want to deprive you.”

               “Good. Finishing off four Eternian officers will not be easy. Luckily for you, we happen to have issues of our own with the Bloodrose Legion. Killing them was our intention all along.”

 

***

               “This really isn’t the best time. The Grand Marshal has quite enough on his plate at the moment, without you lot whining at him every few months.”

               Alternis could feel Einheria’s eyes bearing into his armour, and his face began to grow hot. Those sisters always had such impeccable – and by that he meant awful – timing. Beside him, Edea’s fists were trembling.

               “Mrgrgr… Alternis, can’t you see that this is really bothering them? I mean, he was awful, and it is scary that he’s still out there.”

                “Edea…”

                 Mephilia clapped her hands together delightedly. “See, Alternis? Edea gets it.”

                “Yes, but…”

                “Alternis! DeRosa bad! We must find him.” Artemia Venus’ eyes were fixed intently on the Dark Knight’s covered face, flaring with her trademark murderous rage. All three sisters had a look on their faces to match, and it seemed that even Edea shared their animosity towards their former Captain.

                 Alternis sighed. “I know. We are aware of the allegations you hold against the Red Mage, and as much as we’d all like to smite him, we have no solid proof outside of these ‘Red Reports’, and-”

                 “Are they not proof enough?” Einheria’s voice went up an octave and she sprung into a defensive pose, the spears at her legs rattling dangerously.

                 “Well, I… No, without his confirmation, or that of Erutus Profiteur or Dr. Qada, we can’t be sure that he wrote them. And nobody knows where Profiteur is, or any of the Merchantry for that matter, and, as we told you last time you asked, _Qada is dead_.”

                  “Yes, I remember,” Mephilia folded her arms. “Poisoned in his cell. No sign of anybody entering or leaving Central Command dungeons. A perplexing issue indeed. Assassinated, no doubt.”

                  “Yes. And nobody knows where DeRosa is either.”

                   Alternis could feel his heart sinking with guilt. Even without having dated Mephilia back when they were young, the Venus family were dear friends to the Lees, and had been for many years. He would entrust Einheria and her loyal siblings with his life, and Edea’s, should it come to it. To see them so frustrated and yet forlorn was heart-breaking.

                   “I am sorry. We just have too much to deal with at the moment. It’s just Edea, myself and the Grand Marshal now, with Victoria gone and Victor incapacitated, and every other officer missing, or retired, or… Well, _dead_. The Pope is very adamant that this peace treaty happen as soon as possible, so we don’t have time to go hunting down truant Red Mages.”

                   “Is it just hard evidence you need?” Edea turned to face him, pulling that pouty face that always meant she was nearing the end of her temper.

                   “Yes. That and information about his whereabouts. We can begin a trial for him if you can bring us that.”

                    Edea’s eyes brightened, and a grin began to appear on her face.

                    “So we go and find some then.”

 

***

               “Is this the wrong place?”

               “I’m afraid so. It did crash here, no mistake, but this is not where the Sage of Yulyana hid his weapons.”

               “We came all this way for nothing?”

               The light-haired man nodded, a grim expression on his face. “It was the Kustra Archipelago all along, I suppose. We best head there next.”

               “I don’t wanna stay here anyway.” The armoured figure turned his head to take in his surroundings. “Isn’t this place supposed to be really pretty? ‘Cause it looks real dead to me.”

               “Florem, Land of Radiant Flowers…” the scraggly-looking man folded his arms. “It’s radiance was eradicated long ago. Indeed, this is a land of death and decay.”

 

***

               “Thank you for coming with me, Edea.” Einheria beamed a smile, and Edea returned it. “I didn’t want to make Mephilia and Artemia return here. It houses some… Unpleasant memories for them, of things I wouldn’t want to subject them to again.”

               “Understandable…” Edea offered a wavering laugh. “Truth be told, I don’t really like it here either.”

               “Nor do I. Though my hatred for Florem is menial, when compared to my hatred of DeRosa. The fact that he’s out there, somewhere, makes my skin crawl.”

               Einheria picked at her sleeve, the lightness of the material in contrast with the armour she usually wore feeling far too alien for her liking. She had fought Mephilia hard just to bring Rossweisse with her, but her sister had absolutely forbidden her wearing her Valkyrie garb. No doubt somebody, somewhere in Florem would want her dead.

               _“That ridiculous get-up will get you noticed, sister!”_

_“I – I don’t – My clothes aren’t ridiculous, Mephilia!”_

               At least her confidence was returning, she supposed. A sassy Mephilia was better than a sad one.

               Einheria wasn’t sure if it was just her hay fever playing up, making her vision hazy, or if Florem was somehow becoming more muted than it had been before. It was the spring, and the gardens were in full bloom, their garish colours contrasting harshly with the city itself which had been so vibrant and lively in the three years Einheria had spent there. Now, an air of gloom festered, present in the faces of the girls who sauntered between dimly lit stores and attempted to scoop algae and litter from the water the city sat upon.

               Edea bit her lip and cast a glance at Einheria. “Should we book a place at the inn? It’ll look suspicious if we try to access DeRosa’s hideout while there are so many people about, so we should bide our time until the night.”

               Einheria didn’t answer. She instead focussed her attention on her spear, gazing at the tip and imagining it coated in blood. How much of it was from the destruction of Florem which she had so forcefully contributed?

               “There has to be something I can do to undo all of this…”

               “Huh?”

               “If only I had some money… I’d donate every pg I had to this place.”

               “Einheria…”

               The Valkyrie shook her head and blinked hard. If anyone asked, it was the pollen making her eyes water. “The Inn, did you say? Yes, I suppose we should.”

               As the duo moved away, a shadow shifted on the rooftops, unnoticed.

 

***

               Cinders and smoke suffocated the air, shifted only by the tumultuous stampede of crying figures shoving their way past bodies and debris, clamouring for clean air. All the while, arrows and spells whizzed past them, killing children and adults alike, mercilessly tossing more and more of the villagers to the flames.

               So long had the people of Florem prayed to the spirits, the Flories and the Orochi, and so long had they sought peace and prosperity under their protection. So suddenly had those spirits started to die all around them, foretelling only the doom that now befell the people as well.

               All will perish below the duchy’s banner. That was what people were screaming.

               Soldiers in matching reds and blacks marched through the burning forest, picking off any survivors they came across without the faintest bit of hesitation. At their head were three young women, two of them charging forwards with gleeful grins and the third frowning and muttering to herself as she leapt her way through the flames.

               It was difficult to run through the trees when your lungs were being seared by the flames, and even harder when an arrow had zipped past your thigh, drawing a gash into the skin. Despite that, taking to the treetops had given the girl the highest chance of surviving out of any of her neighbours. Deftly, she hopped from branch to branch, her leg aching terribly and her respiratory system almost cooked by the flames. The edge of the forest drew nearer and nearer, and the sunlight – or was that heaven – beckoned her forwards.

               A pair of blue eyes met hers in the overgrowths, and a broad-shouldered woman with a yarn-ball bun and toting several dangerous-looking spears soared into her line of sight. An Eternian. She thought her heart stopped as the Eternian officer paused on the tree parallel to hers, looking her up and down. Her legs only wobbled more as the pain in her thigh became more noticeable, and she could feel bile building up in her throat.

               Then something unexpected happened. The woman shook her head and kept going. Perhaps it was the fact that she was wounded, or the fact that she was just a kid, or the fact that she looked terrified beyond belief that kept the woman from offing her there? All that was clear was that she had intentionally left the girl alive.

               Biting her lip and ignoring the pain, she kept running. The treetops were familiar to her, she had run this route many times, and the gaps were small enough for her to clamber across. She didn’t think she had the energy to jump. Was her vision becoming hazy because she was crying, or because the smoke was getting to her eyes even more? She tried to pretend it was the latter, even though the smoke was thinning now.

               Then the trees stopped, and she fell forwards into the river that ran around the perimeter of the forest she had once called her home.

               “You’re awake?”

               The girl’s eyes opened, still stinging slightly. She ached everywhere, and she didn’t need to look to know the skin around her leg was becoming enflamed. The first thing her body did was roll onto her front and retch.

               “I can’t say I have lots of experience with cooking people, but I think that’s normal.”

               “Huh?” she managed to gasp, massaging her throat. She had barely noticed there was another person there with her until she was done coughing up her insides. She turned to meet the face of a stunningly beautiful boy around her age sitting on a blanket beside her, cooking something in a little pan in front of him. She watched, transfixed and wordless, for what seemed like ages.

               When he was done, he goaded her to eat what he had made, keeping a close watch over her as she did. She had never seen, or tasted, anything quite like it. For a moment, she was convinced that she had died in the fire, and this boy was an angel. He didn’t seem affected by her reaction to his food, though he quickly took it from her hands when she began to choke.

               “Ahh… Oops. Forgot to breathe.”

               “I think you should get yourself to Florem, and find a doctor. In about an hour, the traders start coming down this path, you should ride with one of them. I’m afraid I’ll have to be clear of this place by then, but -”

               “You’re an amazing cook. Did you realise that?”

               “Well, I can’t deny that.” He smirked, and rose to his feet. “You’ll be alright here. Don’t let that wound fester for too long.”

               She supposed it was her wincing that gave her motives away, as it wasn’t long before the boy stopped and turned to face her, trailing after him with huge difficulty on her injured leg.

               “What are you doing? I told you to wait.”

               “I’m coming with you.”

               He frowned. “You don’t want to. Trust me, you’re better off going to Florem.”

               “And then what? Eternians killed my parents, and my friends, and burned my village to ashes! I got nothing left!”

               Something flashed in his eyes, and his face fell. “Eternians? This was the Templar?”

               “I… You know something?”

               “Nothing.” The mention of the duchy stirred something in him, but he waved it off. “Listen, I can’t let you come with me. You don’t want to get involved with my line of work.”

               “I’m kinda desperate here.”

               “I kill people for money.”

               She paused for a second, and then nodded. “I’m good with a gun. Like, super good. I could take out your next target from here if I weren’t hurt. I don’t even want money. You could pay me in more of those delicious cakes of yours!”

               The boy paused for the longest time, taking in the sight of the pleading girl before him. She must have looked abysmal, singed and covered in blood and soot, with streaks left from tears down her face. In truth, she was doing all she could to stay upright.

               “Please, Mister… All I’m good for is shootin’ stuff.”

               “You’re not good for anything in that state.” He sighed deeply. “Fine. You can come with me. But first, you have to get treated for your injuries. You can repay me by dealing with my next target yourself.”

               The girl made a delighted noise and propelled herself forwards, falling into his arms.

               “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

               He laughed nervously. “I’m Angelo, by the way. Angelo OVO Panettone.”

               “My name’s Aimee. Aimee Matchlock.”

***

               The two blonde women made alarmed noises and leapt back as a bullet bounced between them, and ricocheted off the paving stones. People around them began to panic, and the two women looked about frantically.

               “Sorry darlin’. I missed.” Aimee made an apologetic face and began reloading her firearm.

               “You… You missed from this distance?” Angelo looked visibly taken aback. “How? How did you not hit her?”

               “I… She just brought back some bad memories, that’s all. My hands were shakin’. I’m better now; I’ll take her out.”

               “No. It’s too risky to fire a bullet twice from the same location. You leave me no choice but to deal with her myself.”

               “I’m sorry I’m so useless.”

               It was obvious from his expression that he was mad, but he’d never take it out on her. She supposed that was something.

               “Now, how to go about this? She likely isn’t the type to accept any bait I lay out for her. I doubt I can simply poison her with my pastries. I think I’m going to have to get my hands dirty for this one and slit her throat while she’s unaware.”

               “I don’t think she’s going to give us that chance. Look at her.”

               Below them, their target was shouting instructions to the younger woman, though her eyes remained fixed on a hunk of yellow crystal in her hand.

               “Einheria, Mephilia told you not to bring that!”

               “Be thankful I’m not going into battle without it. Now clear the area of citizens, Edea. I’ll deal with the assailants.”

               “It really is her,” Aimee murmured, noting the new get-up the woman now donned. It was the same bizarre set of armour of the woman who had spared her all those years ago. “She let me live the last time we met.”

               “Mmm, something tells me she’s not going to be so lenient this time.”

               Aimee took out a set of organic bullets and a box of matches. “She’s also the one who burned down my home. Let’s finish her, darlin’, and get out of this place. I know you don’t like it here.”

               He nodded to her and grabbed her by the wrist, before the two of them took off along the rooftops, heading deeper into the city. The Valkyrie must have spotted them, because she yelled and took to the air.

               “You didn’t tell me she could fly!”

               “It’s more like jumping really, really high!”

               “Shoot her down!”

               The sniper nodded and fire off a round of bullets, passing them through a flame so that they ignited as they shot through the air. The Valkyrie propelled herself higher and used the bullets as stepping stones to reach them. The duo froze.

               “You’re an asterisk holder, girl?” She held the tip of her spear to Aimee’s throat.

               “A what?”

               “Impressive. I didn’t think a regular marksman would have that kind of skill. They resemble that of my sister’s.” She cleared her throat and swung her spear so that it lay lengthways across her chest. “I am Einheria Venus, former commander of the Bloodrose Legion, third division of the Eternian Forces, and holder of the Valkyrie asterisk!”

               “We’re assassins hired to kill you. You do realise you just advertised your name and face to us, don’t you?” Angelo sighed, drawing a long, silver knife from his belt.

               “Formalities. I have no intention of letting either of you live. Crescent Moon!”

               She jolted her spear arm to the side, delivering a blow that would have cut them deep in the chest had their reflexes been any slower.

               “For an Eternian soldier, you sure aren’t the most forward thinking, are ya? Always Default before ya Brave, Venus!” Aimee goaded, zipping behind a chimney and reloading her gun.

               “Eternian soldiers aren’t forward thinking at all. They thought to spare you when the rest of your people burned, for one. The fool Valkyrie didn’t realise her mistake until it was too late, coming face to face with you in battle four years later and meeting her end at my blade!”

               Though the woman lacked the energy to fight back, her armour blocked the brunt of Angelo’s blow. She took his surprise as a chance to fight back, and struck him in the side of the head with the rounded end of her spear. His weapon flew from his hand and scattered across the roof.

               “Hey! Don’t you go marring my darlin’s face, you hear me!” Aimee began to aim her weapon at the centre of Einheria’s forehead. She’d be dead the minute she pulled the trigger.

               “Is that what this is about? You want revenge for what the Bloodrose Legion did?” She began to lower her spear. “I don’t blame you. I’d want me dead too if I was in your shoes.”

               Aimee did not put the gun down.

               “The duchy ain’t good. They ain’t kind. When my darlin’ lost everything to the Plague, the streets of Florem were turned into slums. The duchy didn’t do anything to stop it. But when they ran low on soldiers they came, and they took his only ally away, leaving him all alone! You lot only care about covering your own _fuckin’ asses_ to give a shit about the rest of us! You bastards! I’ll shoot you and your whole family full o’ holes for what you did to us!”

               “I understand, I truly do. But I can’t let you take me out. My sisters need me, and it is my sworn duty to protect them from any threats.” The muscles in her arm grew tense. “And that includes you!”

               There was a flash of steel and a yell, and Aimee found herself enveloped in the warm, familiar smell of fresh pastries as Angelo used his body to shield hers from Einheria’s blow.

               But it never came.

               “What are you waiting for? Run, I’ll hold her off!” a man’s voice demanded. A tall figure in a black set of overalls and a mask loomed over them, pushing back the Valkyrie’s spear with a greatsword in hand. “Minette, cover me! Geist, Rev, you too! Bella and Cù Chulainn, get these kids out of here!”

               “Yes, Your Majesty!”

***

               “Are you some kind of forest spirit?”

               “Aimee, you can’t just ask that kind of thing.”

               The man she was addressing simply laughed, and the woman beside him flushed red under her dark fringe.

               “Do not worry! I am Cù Chulainn, and this was my faithful steed, Siegland! When Milady Bella brought us back, the spell backfired and we became one! No matter, for ‘tis a mighty vessel! For a Warrior!”

               “…Huh?”

               “We’re baaaaaaaack!” a child’s voice called out, and the rest of the party who had stayed behind to fight Einheria Venus set themselves down by the fire the dark woman had built.

               “She’s gone now. We chased her off,” the tall man with the greatsword affirmed, rubbing his sword arm. Was that a gauntlet he wore, or was his arm actually made of metal? “Are you both alright?”

               Aimee shrugged, and Angelo didn’t answer. He was holding a bag of ice to his head where the Valkyrie had struck him, but his face was flushed red. No doubt from embarrassment.

               “Sorry you had to come in like that, mister. Y’see, we’ve never tried to take out one of them Eternian whatdoyacallems before. Crystal Bearers?”

               “Asterisk Holders?”

               “Yeah. Well, I mean, I never killed one before. My darlin’ though, he took out one of their elites once. Tricked him into eating one of his amazing sweets, and he died right then and there!”

               “How dastardly.” A man covered from head to toe in blood grinned at them. “I like your style.”

               Angelo’s spirits seemed to brighten a bit. He brushed his hair from his face and smiled. “Isn’t it just stellar? I call it _Death by Delicious!_ ”

               “Your Majesty! We should enlist these two as officers!”

               “But they couldn’t even kill that one lady.” The voice of the child was coming from what looked like a suit of armour filled with blue smoke. Whatever he was, he wasn’t human.

               “It took fooour of yoooOoou to take her out, Revenaaant, but if we had asterisks of our ooooOown…” the doll in the lap of the woman in dark colours began to ooze with some dark magic.

               “The Duchy of Mewternia wouldn’t stand a chance against us if we were all meowsterisk holders! Nyahahaha!” The smallest of the group, a young girl, rose to her feet and punched the air.

               “You intend to take out the duchy?” the two of them turned to face the man in the mask, the one the others called ‘His Majesty’.

               The man’s face hardened, the girl who spoke like a cat sat down, and the horse man stopped shooting daggers at the armoured boy.

               “My name is Kaiser Oblivion. We, the Glanz Empire, strive to deny this world, to turn back time to erase all the injustice and calamity that has befallen Luxendarc. The duchy is only one of the harbingers of destruction that we must eradicate, but they are a target nonetheless, and a dangerous one. At present, it is just us six, and potentially two others, who command this army. We need all the help we can get.”

               “So we could get revenge on the people who hurt us? Is that what you’re saying?” Aimee cocked her head to one side.

               The Kaiser nodded. “You will have your revenge on the duchy. We know where there is a cache of asterisks to match theirs in strength.”

               “Ooh, and can I get a fancy new gun as well?”

               “I suppose, yes.”

               “And what about our current assignment?” Angelo watched the Kaiser tentatively.

               “Forget it. You’re hit-men right? Paid mercenaries? So you’ll be wanting money? That’s a non-issue, we have plenty of pg.”

               “Oh, oh no. I think you’ve severely misunderstood our motives. The money was just a necessity to guarantee our survival. After all, thanks to the duchy, we lost everything we had. I really _hate_ this dreadful career. Risking my life every day really isn’t ideal. No, Kaiser Oblivion, I don’t want your money. Just promise us one thing, alright? We kill the Templar. We kill the Templar, and you can have our service for free.”

              

 

              

 

 

 

 


End file.
